Surviving C420's?

[Jim Osborne]

Looking at the diesel roster on the Society's website, it lists up to five C420's that have soldiered on. I did some online searches to try and find them, but the trail grew cold on most. It looks like Arkansas & Missouri 68 (Monon 507) is still going strong, but I didn't find the dispositions of 513, 515, 516, or 517, particularly after the apparent demise of the Apache Railway. Anybody know if those units still survive?

[George Lortz]

Jim,

Apache still has their former-Monon C420 (#83) and they don't have any immediate plans to get rid of it.

The A&M C420 is very suspect.  I have talked to them and they have described their 3 former-Monon locomotives as being used primarily for parts.  At best, A&M #68 is a kit-bashed version of several C420s, on of which may have been Monon.  Someone once said that the shape of the railings prove it to be mostly Monon.

Someday, I need to create a complete geneology of the Monon C420s.  There would be dozens of railroads involved in that history.

C420 #513 holds the record for being owned by the most companies.  My records show that Monon, L&N, Chrome Crankshaft, Iowa Railroad, Mid-American Locomotive, Naples Terminal and Prairie Central Co-op have all owned it at one time.

George L.

[Tom Pinnick]

Trains magazine online has an article about A&M getting new SD70s and storing their ALCOs.

[Stew Winstandley]

The September issue of Railfan and Railroad has an article about the Alcos on the Apache Railroad.  In the article is mentioned that Apache aquired L&N 420s #1305 and 1316, but nothing abot their #83 which is ex-Monon.
http://carstensbookstore.com/september20132.html

Stew